The role of Assistant Conservator, Sally Price

'My role as Assistant Conservator tends to vary from week to week. A large amount of my time is spent looking at conservation issues at the 12 or so properties in the South East region.

The winter is a particularly busy time, as we take the opportunity whilst the houses are closed to the public to carry out essential maintenance and put preventive conservation measures in place. These include resolving problems of visitor wear and tear, environmental monitoring and giving advice to house staff on the care of the collections.

As it is a training and development position, I am also able to attend courses to broaden my knowledge of conservation and benefit my work for the National Trust. I recently attended a 3 day course on the conservation of plastics and rubber. This is a relatively new subject within conservation, but as more of our collections obtain modern materials it will become increasingly relevant.

Not only do I get the opportunity to attend courses, but I am also involved with providing training for other colleagues and volunteers. This can be very worthwhile and good fun. Some of the short courses that have been run in the past include dealing with of insect pests, furniture handling and book cleaning.

Another aspect of my work involves assisting the Territory Conservator and conservation colleagues across the South of England. This has included setting up an exhibition of ‘Hidden Treasures’ at Ham House, opening a 1930s property called The Homewood to the public for the first time, and packing up contents from Snowshill Manor in preparation for building works. To make these projects successful, the conservators section often has to work with many other disciplines across the NT including the curators, building managers and the finance department.

At the end of my 3 year contract I hope to have the skills to become a conservator responsible for a region. Before working for the National Trust I studied for a degree at De Montfort University in 'Restoration and Conservation of Antiques'. I then went on to specialise in textile conservation as an intern at the National Trust's Textile Studio in Norfolk.

After working as a freelance conservator for a short while, I applied for my current post – one of three Assistant Conservator posts, each covering one of the Trust's territories. I hope to carry on developing my skills in conservation and gaining experience through my work for the National Trust, which I enjoy greatly.'

Working with the Trust

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